Papan is a Malay word that literally means 'plank'. These names may have originated from the area's earliest known history as a small lumber town, probably as early as the 1700s. The Kledang hills that form the backdrop of Papan were once a well-known source of Chengal timber, attracting many Malay and Chinese timber workers from all over Perak. Along with the lumber industry, a number of mines were opened in the mid 1800s due to the discovery of promising alluvial tin deposits.